Man jailed for naked stunt on London statue

Dec. 4, 2012

A naked man sits on top of a statue of George, Duke of Cambridge in Whitehall, London, Friday Nov. 23, 2012. Police and eyewitnesses say a naked man has climbed atop an equestrian statue in the heart of Whitehall, London's government district. A Scotland Yard spokesman said that the man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, has been sitting atop the statue for the better part of two hours. He said Friday: 'We're still talking to him. We're still trying to get him down without causing any injury to him.' (AP Photo/ John Stillwell/PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE / AP

A naked man sits on top of a statue of George, Duke of Cambridge in Whitehall, London, Friday Nov. 23, 2012. Police and eyewitnesses say a naked man has climbed atop an equestrian statue in the heart of Whitehall, London's government district. A Scotland Yard spokesman said that the man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, has been sitting atop the statue for the better part of two hours. He said Friday: 'We're still talking to him. We're still trying to get him down without causing any injury to him.' (AP Photo/ Stefan Rousseau/PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE / AP

A naked man climbs down from a statue of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, on Whitehall in London, Friday, Nov. 23, 2012. Police and eyewitnesses say a naked man has climbed atop an equestrian statue in the heart of Whitehall, London's government district. A Scotland Yard spokesman said that the man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, has been sitting atop the statue for the better part of two hours. He said Friday: 'We're still talking to him. We're still trying to get him down without causing any injury to him.' (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) / AP

A naked man sits on top of a statue of George, Duke of Cambridge in Whitehall, London, Friday Nov. 23, 2012. Police and eyewitnesses say a naked man has climbed atop an equestrian statue in the heart of Whitehall, London's government district. A Scotland Yard spokesman said that the man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, has been sitting atop the statue for the better part of two hours. He said Friday: 'We're still talking to him. We're still trying to get him down without causing any injury to him.' (AP Photo/ Stefan Rousseau/PA) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE / AP

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LONDON — A man who climbed naked onto an equestrian statue in London's government district, ripped off its sword and bit it has been sentenced to 12 weeks in jail.

Dan Motrescu brought central London traffic to a standstill when he mounted the bronze statue of the 19th-century Duke of Cambridge on Nov. 23.

Police cordoned off Whitehall, a street that is home to several government departments, as Motrescu climbed up and down the statue, at one point balancing himself on the duke's head.

It took several hours for officers to talk him down.

Motrescu, a Ukrainian citizen of no fixed address, was convicted Tuesday of possession of an offensive weapon, criminal damage and a public order offense. A magistrate at Westminster Magistrates' Court sentenced him to 12 weeks in jail.